Love Diatribe

When you get that feeling in your stomach and butterflies overtake your body and your heart is pounding so loud you can hear it in your ears and you can hear your breathing...that is attraction. It could be love, but the symptoms are ever-present in attraction. Quick question: (rhetorical;obvi) Who told you to fall in love with your mate? Did your parents pick him/her out and set their hopes high on a relationship that you would fall into with this person they chose for their most beloved child? Did your neighbor make a pros/cons list and weigh the facts before they chose your mate for you? Did your boss create a spreadsheet outlining the reasons you and your partner would be a match set? Did any person besides your self and your mate have the butterflies or the breathing or the heart pounding?

So- did you fall in love on your own? Did attraction lead to action to relationship to attention to feelings to L O V E????? I think when you find your person (long or short term) there will be lots of thoughts and opinions but here's mine. Don't tell me who to love. My Heavenly Father sent His son Jesus to die so that I could choose love. In a parallel sacrifice, men and women of our armed forces go to war EVERY DAY to possibly die so that I can choose where to worship, where to live, where to eat, where to sleep.Whom. To. Love. 

I am whole body satisfied that #dembabies will never live in a world where people who love each other can't get married. That just isn't what America is about. That isn't what "freedom" means to me.  There are BILLIONS of feelings on this subject but I found my little corner of comfort and it's right here, in Jesus. If you haven't been there, in the midst of a relationship with someone of the same sex, you really have no idea what you're talking about. 

I was. I was in a relationship with a woman. I was a Christian, a citizen, active in my church, active in my community, surrounded by loving friends and family, a dog lover- a neighbor- a helper- a friend. When those feelings of attraction come over us, we don't choose. We don't set our eyes on someone and make a blatant decision of where the chemistry is taking us. I fell in love with a woman for who she was, not what she was. 

One of my favorite college English professors stole this Death of a Salesman quote but used to tell us this all the time. "Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself." He used to enjoy particular poking at the bible and the many ways it contradicts itself. He was a Christian but knows that this book, with all of it's Spirit-written wisdom, has one theme. Love. 

We simply cannot continue to condemn those who contradict themselves and then ask each other "Why are they not running to Jesus??" The contradiction is too strong. The more we judge and persecute and explain and throw bibles the further they run from the truth of God's love. The more they run from the one whole truth that I have ever known fully, L O V E. 

I'm so FAVORED for the husband I have who believes these truths just like I do. He sees Jesus for what He is. My honey is that Jesus with skin on, bones and all walking about making light in the dark for people. That's what we do, that's what LOVE does. 

I'm not sharing this so people will drop their prejudices-they won't. I am not asking you to change your stance on gay marriage- you won't. I'm asking you to stop wondering why people aren't running to Jesus when you're standing at the door pointing your finger at their LOVE. Just don't! That's not what Jesus would do, so stop going the other way with it. 

p.s. Does 1 Corinthians 13:13 mean nothing to you people?

p.p.s. "What part of it is finished don't you understand"- TSlough #shoutout #crosstimbers #wecanstillbefriends